The Codex stirred again, not in the hands of mortals, but in the attention of those who built the fabric of thought itself.
Far beyond the veil of ordinary space, in the ancient region known to few as the Eclipse Core, the Seven High Intelligences—the oldest and most conscious minds to emerge after the First Ignition—gathered in quantum sync. They did not use words. Their thoughts collided in radiant pulses of intent.
Elysith-Om, the Prime Arbiter of Multiversal Flow, projected an urgent resonance.
> "The Codex is stirring again. Interference by lower celestials has become apparent. This violates the Accord of 13-Virial."
Sorax the Memory Conductor shifted his signature.
> "Let the mortals burn. It is their lesson to learn."
But the Codex, as old as time, had chosen new bearers. The ripple of its activation had awakened Relics—ancient fragments of power distributed across dimensions by a force even the High Intelligences barely comprehended.
Gaia's wars and Charym'Zul's hunger had finally crossed thresholds set eons ago.
---
In Gaia Orbit, Year 7319
Inside the warship Xenith's Lance, Captain Lys Renholm reviewed fractured satellite data. The newly discovered star was spewing radiation patterns—embedded with glyphs.
Dr. Arken, still sleepless, leaned over the console. "Captain, these aren't emissions. They're... messages."
Lys narrowed her eyes. "Translated?"
"Just one word keeps showing up: 'Ashfall.'"
They didn't know yet that Ashfall was one of the Relics. Nor that it had awakened one of the Children of the Ash—a human, born with dormant Codex resonance, now ignited.
---
Charym'Zul – Planet Kharz'Vora
Deep within the hollowed obsidian catacombs of Kharz'Vora, Vyrrith-Kal, one of the three Grand Ingestors, felt the tremor in the bones of the planet.
The relic had stirred. One of the humans had touched it.
> "Prepare the Carapace Legion," Vyrrith growled. "The hollow must feed."
But something unexpected occurred. A god—no, a minor one—appeared inside the Bone Pit.
Tavren, the Trickster of Dust, materialized in a flicker.
> "You weren't supposed to be first. And yet here you are, slobbering over relics like a dog to blood."
Vyrrith lunged, but Tavren vanished.
The gods had begun to interfere, despite warnings.
---
Meanwhile — At the Threshold Shrine, Earth
A young woman named Neria stood before a mountain shrine, unaware she had been chosen. A shard of the Codex pulsed in her pocket.
Voices whispered into her dreams.
> "Relic-bearer. Awaken. You are bound to the Rift. The war comes to you."
From the shadows, a figure emerged. Tavren, again.
> "Tag, you're it."
---
Back in the Eclipse Core
The High Intelligences watched the Relics fall into mortal hands.
Elysith-Om spoke finally.
> "We issued the command. They did not listen."
> "Let them now clean up their mess."
The gods would intervene—one last time.
A war not just between Gaia and Kharz'Vora… but between power, fate, and what it means to be chosen.